21-02-2025
Altec to hire up to 100, has Erwin job fair Monday
ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) — A growing Burnsville, N.C. employer that builds utility truck bodies and needs dozens of new employees by mid-year will hold a job fair in Erwin Monday afternoon.
Unicoi Co. unemployment rate again highest in Tennessee
Altec representatives will be at Erwin Town Hall, 211 N. Main Ave., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and direct hiring opportunities will be available for jobs with pay beginning at $20.45 per hour.
'The demand for our product is high and we need to add probably about 100 people by the middle of the year,' Human Resources Business Partner Rob Hardin told News Channel 11.
Hardin said the Burnsville plant, which makes the 'box' that sits on the back of utility trucks like those used in the electric power industry, has already hired a number of Unicoi Countians since Hurricane Helene's damage to the Erwin Industrial Park put more than 200 people out of work. The facility is about a 45-minute drive from Erwin.
Available jobs range from welder and CNC machine operator to entry-level positions in 'dress out' (finishing assembler) and paint departments. Hardin said business for Altec, which is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., has boomed since post-COVID supply chain issues eased up. The Burnsville site has about 1,000 employees.
Hardin said the main requirement is a GED or high school diploma. Experience is preferred for the welding and CNC positions, but the company can train on the job. The standard workweek is four 10-hour days and most of the available jobs are second shift, which includes a $2/hr shift differential.
While the company offers open interviews at its Burnsville location each Friday, Hardin said an Altec supply chain analyst, Anthony White, suggested a specific effort in Unicoi County after learning it had Tennessee's highest unemployment rate as a result of Hurricane Helene.
'We wanted to go to them,' Hardin said, adding that Altec Burnsville, despite being near the banks of the Cane River, had minimal damage from Helene-caused flooding.
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